He pushed the door. It was only when it didn’t give that he noticed the handwritten “back in ten minutes” sign. John was already twenty minutes into his lunch break. He just didn’t have time to hang around to buy the new picture book he’d promised he would read to his daughter tonight.
He swore quietly under his breath as he walked away empty handed.

Jan the bookstore owner is four doors away collecting her sushi order. She doesn’t see the harm in popping out for a quick bite to eat. It’s only ten minutes out of a very long day. If she misses out on a sale or two, so be it. A girl’s got to eat! People will understand. They’ll either wait or come back.

Except they don’t. They cross the street to try their luck at the department store or ‘buy with one click’ on Amazon. “Back in ten minutes” sends a signal to customers about how they are valued. Those ten minutes don’t just cost Jan a single sale, they add up to much more when she stops to consider the lifetime value of a loyal customer or the cost of acquiring a new one.

Every move you make is part of your brand’s story. How you act is who your customers believe you are and those beliefs impact your outcomes. What do you want them to believe?
Are your business goals and actions aligned?

Image by Tom Fahy.